Rocker one-way clutch with cutout to locate a spring and stator incorporating the same

ABSTRACT

A rocker one-way clutch including an outer race including a pocket and a ,strut including a main body rotatable within the pocket and a locking member including a first neck portion extending from the main body and a cutout operatively arranged within the first neck portion to prevent displacement of a spring member. A rocker one-way clutch including an inner race, an outer race arranged radially outward of the inner race concentrically, the outer race including a pocket, a strut including a main body rotatable within the pocket and a locking member, the locking member including a first neck portion extending from the main body, a cutout operatively arranged within the first neck portion to prevent displacement of a spring member and a protrusion operatively arranged within the first neck portion opposite of the cutout to ensure proper assembly of the strut within said inner and outer races.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/057,491, filed Sep. 30, 2014, which application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates generally to a rocker one-way clutch, and, in particular, a stator having a rocker one-way clutch having a cutout on a strut to maintain the position of a spring and a mechanism for ensuring the strut is properly assembled within the stator.

BACKGROUND

U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0213027 (Bird et al.) discloses a one-way brake for a torque converter stator. The stator disclosed is formed with blades spaced mutually angularly about an axis. The stator disclosed further includes a hub located radially inward of the blades. The stator includes an outer race which includes pockets spaced angularly about the axis. Each pocket includes a rocker, sometimes called a strut, and a spring, which continually urges a respective rocker to pivot in its pocket toward engagement with cams formed on an outer surface of the inner race, arranged radially inward of the hub. The one-way rocker brake prevents counterclockwise rotation of the stator relative to the stator shaft and race.

U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0197002 (Lindemann et al.) discloses a symmetrical strut for a rocker one-way clutch that provides the same functionality whether installed with a top or a bottom side into a pocket for a race for the clutch.

A common problem with rocker one-way clutches is that the spring arranged between the housing and the strut can move out of place because the position of the spring is not maintained. Typical rocker one-way clutch 50 is shown in FIG. 2. Strut 51 is rotatably mounted within a pocket of housing 52 and spring 54 is wedged in groove 55. Spring 54 is simultaneously contacting strut 51. Spring 54 can slip along the surface of strut 51 along directions d1 and d2 shown in FIG. 3. If spring 54 of such a rocker one-way clutch slips and/or becomes jammed, then the torque converter fails to perform the multiplication function properly. Additionally, if spring 54 breaks, total replacement is necessary.

Another problem with rocker one-way clutches having an asymmetrical strut is that the strut can be unintentionally incorrectly assembled, Typical rocker one-way clutch 50 shown in FIG. 2 includes improperly installed strut 56 which has caused spring 58 to become dislodged from groove 59 of housing 52. In this improper arrangement, the contact angle between strut 56 and ramp 60 of inner race 61 is incorrect. Additionally, due to this improper arrangement, spring 58 can slip and/or become dislodged or jammed between strut 56 and housing 52. During operation of the rocker one-way clutch in the free-wheel mode, strut 56 can crush spring 58 as strut 56 is urged clockwise. A damaged spring can cause failure of one-way clutch 50 because a crushed spring can cause the inner and outer races to be non-rotatably locked.

FIG. 4 a shows a perspective view of strut 51 which broadly includes main body 62, first neck portion 63 a and second neck portion 63 b. Main body 62 is arranged to engage with and be restrained by a pocket of housing 52 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. First and second neck portions 63 a and 63 b are arranged to lock the inner and outer races of the one-way clutch. Strut 51 has top surface 64. When strut is properly installed in a one-way clutch, top surface 64 is facing upward and second neck portion 63 b is facing radially outward. FIG. 4 b shows a perspective view of strut 51 with bottom surface 65 facing upward. When bottom surface 65 is facing upward, strut 51 can be improperly assembled in a stator assembly. First neck portion 63 a is substantially planar on all surfaces even on the surface arranged to contact a spring.

Thus, there has been a long-felt need for a strut having a cutout to maintain the position of a spring and a mechanism for ensuring the strut is properly assembled within the stator.

SUMMARY

According to aspects illustrated herein, there is provided a rocker one-way clutch including an outer race including a pocket and a strut including a main body rotatable within the pocket and a locking member, the locking member including a first neck portion extending from the main body and a cutout operatively arranged within the first neck portion to prevent displacement of a spring member.

According to aspects illustrated herein, there is provided a rocker one-way clutch including an inner race, an outer race arranged radially outward of the inner race concentrically, the outer race including a pocket, a strut including a main body rotatable within the pocket and a locking member, the locking member including a first neck portion extending from the main body, a cutout operatively arranged within the first neck portion to prevent displacement of a spring member and a protrusion operatively arranged within the first neck portion opposite of the cutout to ensure proper assembly of the strut within said inner and outer races.

According to aspects illustrated herein, there is provided a stator for a torque converter including a plurality of blades and a one-way clutch including an outer race located radially inward of the plurality of blades and including a pocket and a strut including a main body arranged in the pocket and a locking member including a first neck portion directly connected to the main body and extending from the main body in a first direction, the first neck portion having a first surface and a cutout arranged in the first surface extending in a second direction to prevent displacement of a spring member.

A primary object of the invention is to provide a strut having a cutout to maintain the position of a spring.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mechanism for ensuring the strut is properly assembled within the stator.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent upon a review of the following detailed description of the invention, in view of the drawings and appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The nature and mode of operation of the present invention will now be more fully described in the following detailed description of the invention taken with the accompanying figures, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cylindrical coordinate system demonstrating spatial terminology used in the present application;

FIG. 2 is a top view of a rocker one-way clutch with a typical strut in a stator for a torque converter;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view of the rocker one-way clutch shown in FIG. 2 illustrating a detailed view of the strut shown encircled in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 a is a perspective view of a typical strut of a rocker one-way clutch;

FIG. 4 b is a perspective view of the typical strut shown in FIG. 4 a except with the top surface facing downward;

FIG. 5 a is a perspective view of a strut of the invention;

FIG. 5 b is a perspective view of the strut of the invention shown in FIG. 5 a except with the top surface facing downward;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary top view of a rocker one-way clutch incorporating the strut of the invention shown in FIG. 5; and,

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary view of the rocker one-way clutch incorporating the strut of the invention shown in FIG. 6 except with the spring removed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

At the outset, it should be appreciated that like drawing numbers on different drawing views identify identical, or functionally similar, structural elements of the invention. It is to be understood that the invention as claimed is not limited to the disclosed aspects.

Furthermore, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the particular methodology, materials and modifications described and as such may, of course, vary. It is also understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular aspects only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood to one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. It should be understood that any methods, devices or materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of cylindrical coordinate system 10 demonstrating spatial terminology used in the present application. The present application is at least partially described within the context of a cylindrical coordinate system. System 10 includes longitudinal axis 11, used as the reference for the directional and spatial terms that follow. Axial direction AD is parallel to axis 11. Radial direction RD is orthogonal to axis 11. Circumferential direction CD is defined by an endpoint of radius R (orthogonal to axis 11) rotated about axis 11.

To clarify the spatial terminology, objects 12, 13, and 14 are used. An axial surface, such as surface 15 of object 12, is formed by a plane co-planar with axis 11. Axis 11 passes through planar surface 15; however any planar surface co-planar with axis 11 is an axial surface. A radial surface, such as surface 16 of object 13, is formed by a plane orthogonal to axis 11 and co-planar with a radius, for example, radius 17. Radius 17 passes through planar surface 16; however any planar surface co-planar with radius 17 is a radial surface. Surface 18 of object 14 forms a circumferential, or cylindrical, surface. For example, circumference 19 is passes through surface 18. As a further example, axial movement is parallel to axis 11, radial movement is orthogonal to axis 11, and circumferential movement is parallel to circumference 19. Rotational movement is with respect to axis 11. The adverbs “axially,” “radially,” and “circumferentially” refer to orientations parallel to axis 11, radius 17, and circumference 19, respectively. For example, an axially disposed surface or edge extends in direction AD, a radially disposed surface or edge extends in direction R, and a circumferentially disposed surface or edge extends in direction CD.

FIG. 5 a shows strut 100 of the invention with top surface TS facing upward.

FIG. 5 b shows strut 100 with bottom surface BS facing upward. Cutout 106 is arranged to prevent spring S (shown in FIG. 6) from inadvertently slipping in either direction d3 or direction d4.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary top view of stator assembly 90 incorporating strut 100 of the invention shown in FIGS. 5 a and 5 b. Top surface TS of strut 100 is facing upward in FIG. 6 and thus, strut 100 is properly assembled.

The following should be appreciated in view of FIGS. 5 a, 5 b, and 6. Strut 100 of the invention is arranged within outer race OR and inner race IR of stator assembly 90. In a preferred embodiment, stator assembly 90 includes six struts 100 arranged symmetrically circumferentially. The side plate of stator assembly 90 is not shown in FIG. 6 so that strut 100 is visible. In a preferred embodiment, plurality of blades (shown in FIG. 2) are arranged radially outward of outer race OR. Additionally, a stator shaft (not shown) is arranged radially inward of inner race IR. Inner race IR is non-rotatably connected to the stator shaft. Outer race OR is rotatable with respect to inner race IR in direction d5 and non-rotatable in direction d6 due to the interaction between locking member 102 of strut 100 and plurality of ramps 111 of inner race IR. In a preferred embodiment, direction d5 is clock-wise and direction d6 is counter-clockwise. During operation and under acceleration when torque is multiplied, fluid is directed clockwise and strut 100 prevents outer race OR from rotating with respect to inner race IR.

Strut 100 broadly comprises main body 101 and locking member 102. Main body 101 sits loose in pocket 112 so that main body 101 is rotatable. Locking member 102 includes first neck portion 103 and second neck portion 104. First neck portion 103 extends from main body 101 in direction d4. In other words, first neck portion 103 extends outwardly radially from main body 101. First neck portion 103 also connects main body 101 to second neck portion 104. First neck portion 103 includes protrusion 105 and cutout 106 and both protrusion 105 and cutout 106 extend between top surface TS to bottom surface BS of first neck portion 103. In a preferred embodiment, protrusion 105 is opposite cutout 106.

As shown in FIG. 6, cutout 106 is arranged to receive spring S and prevent spring S from accidentally slipping toward main body 101 or toward second neck portion 104. More specifically, cutout 106 is operatively arranged to receive first end 108 of spring S. Second end 109 of spring S is wedged in groove 110. Thus, it should be appreciated that cutout 106 is correspondingly shaped and sized to maintain the position of spring S based on the size of spring S.

Spring S is preferably a compression spring; however, any suitable alternative is contemplated. For example, spring S could be any rubber element or a pneumatic cylinder. In an example embodiment, strut 100 is made of powder metal having a microhardness of approximately 55-62 MC and an apparent hardness of approximately 30 HRC min. In another example embodiment, strut 100 could be made of FLC2-4808-110HT or FLC 4608-95HT, which are designations for different variations of ferrous powder metals that are heat treated. Strut 100 can also be made of steel, for example, SAE J403, which is a hard carbon steel classified by the Society of Automotive Engineers, with a hardness of approximately 55-62 HRC. Any suitable alternative is contemplated. The abbreviation “HRC” is a designation of hardness using the Rockwell C Scale, measured by pressing a specially shaped diamond cone against a clean prepared surface of the specimen with a specific force. The machine making the indention also measures the depth of the indention and provides a numerical value for that depth. It should be appreciated that any material that is very hard and resistant to permanent shape change when a compressive force is applied is contemplated. In an example embodiment, strut 100 must be made from a hard material to resist deformation due to the constant variation of compressible forces.

FIG. 7 shows strut 100 within stator assembly 90 without spring S. Projection 120 is positioned on the inside of outer race OR such that projection 120 protrudes into pocket 112. If strut 100 is placed within pocket 112 upside down such that cutout 106 is facing away from groove 110 (instead protrusion 105 is facing groove 110), in that case, projection 120 contacts protrusion 105. Due to the contact between protrusion 105 and projection 120, strut 100 does not sit fully within pocket 112. Instead, strut 100 is prevented from sitting within pocket 112 because protrusion 105 is sitting atop projection 120. When strut 100 is not fully within pocket 112, the side plate of stator assembly 90 cannot be assembled because strut 100 is not flush with its surrounding pocket 112. It should be appreciated that projection 120 can take any suitable shape. Additionally, projection 120 could be one of a number of projections arranged to contact protrusion 105.

In a preferred embodiment, projection 120 is cast with outer ring OR. However, projection 120 could be a separate component and coupled with outer ring OR. It should also be appreciated that projection 120 does not interfere with spring S when and strut 100 is properly assembled. In that case, projection 120 is behind or underneath spring S.

In a preferred embodiment, strut 100 is forged of the materials described above however, any suitable alternative material or process of forming strut 100 can be used. Additionally, strut 100 can be used with any one-way clutch application.

It will be appreciated that various of the above-disclosed and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be desirably combined into many other different systems or applications. Various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations, or improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in the art which are also intended to be encompassed by the following claims.

REFERENCE NUMBERS

50 typical one-way rocker clutch

51 strut

52 housing

54 spring

55 groove

56 improperly installed strut

59 dislodged spring

59 groove

60 ramp

61 inner race

62 main body

63 a first neck portion

63 b second neck portion

d1 direction

d2 direction

18 pocket

90 stator assembly

100 strut

101 main body

102 locking member

103 first neck portion

104 second neck portion

105 protrusion

106 cutout

108 first end

109 second end

110 groove

111 plurality of ramps

d3 direction

d4 direction

d5 direction

d6 direction

S spring

120 projection 

What is claimed is:
 1. A rocker one-way clutch, comprising: an outer race including a pocket; and, a strut comprising: a main body rotatable within said pocket; and, a locking member, said locking member including: a first neck portion extending from said main body; and, a cutout operatively arranged within said first neck portion to prevent displacement of a spring member.
 2. The rocker one-way clutch recited in claim 1, wherein said outer race includes a groove and said spring member includes a first end and a second end and wherein said first end of said spring member is arranged in said groove and said second end of said spring member is arranged within said cutout and said spring member is arranged to push said locking member radially inward from said outer race.
 3. The rocker one-way clutch recited in claim 1, further comprising an inner race arranged radially inward of said outer race, wherein: said outer race is rotatable with respect to said inner race in a first direction; in a second direction, said spring member is operatively arranged to cause a first end of said locking member to contact said inner race such that said outer race is non-rotatable with respect to said inner race.
 4. The rocker one-way clutch recited in claim 1, wherein said locking member further comprises a protrusion arranged opposite of said cutout.
 5. The rocker one-way clutch recited in claim 1, wherein said outer race includes a groove to hold said spring member and said cutout is substantially aligned with said groove.
 6. The rocker one-way clutch recited in claim 1, wherein said cutout is operatively arranged to face radially outwards toward said outer race.
 7. The rocker one-way clutch recited in claim 1, wherein said locking member further comprises a protrusion arranged opposite of said cutout and said protrusion is operatively arranged to face radially inwards toward an inner race.
 8. The rocker one-way clutch recited in claim 1, wherein said outer race includes six pockets for six struts.
 9. A rocker one-way clutch, comprising: an inner race; an outer race arranged radially outward of said inner race concentrically, said outer race including a pocket; a strut comprising: a main body rotatable within said pocket; and, a locking member, said locking member including: a first neck portion extending from said main body; a cutout operatively arranged within said first neck portion to prevent displacement of a spring member; and, a protrusion operatively arranged within said first neck portion opposite of said cutout to ensure proper assembly of said strut within said inner and outer races.
 10. The rocker one-way clutch recited in claim 9, wherein said outer race includes a groove and said spring member includes a first end and a second end and wherein said first end of said spring member is arranged in said groove and said second end of said spring member is arranged within said cutout and said spring member is arranged to push said locking member radially inward from said outer race into locking engagement with said inner race in a first direction.
 11. The rocker one-way clutch recited in claim 9, further comprising an inner race arranged radially inward of said outer race, wherein: said outer race is rotatable with respect to said inner race in a first direction; in a second direction, said spring member is operatively arranged to cause a first end of said locking member to contact said inner race such that said outer race is non-rotatable with respect to said inner race.
 12. The rocker one-way clutch recited in claim 9, wherein said outer race includes a groove to hold said spring and said cutout and said protrusion are substantially aligned with said groove.
 13. The rocker one-way clutch recited in claim 9, wherein said cutout is operatively arranged to face radially outwards toward said outer race and said protrusion is operatively arranged to extend radially inwards toward said inner race.
 14. A stator fir a torque converter, comprising: a plurality of blades; and, a one-way clutch comprising: an outer race located radially inward of said plurality of blades and including a pocket; and, a strut comprising: a main body arranged in said pocket; and, a locking member including; a first neck portion directly connected to said main body and extending from said main body in a first direction, said first neck portion having a first surface; and, a cutout arranged in said first surface extending in a second direction to prevent displacement of a spring member.
 15. The stator for the torque converter recited in claim 14, wherein said first direction is substantially perpendicular to said second direction.
 16. The stator for the torque converter recited in claim 14, wherein said spring member is prevented from becoming displaced in said first direction.
 17. The stator for the torque converter recited in claim 14, wherein said outer race includes six pockets for six struts.
 18. The stator for the torque converter recited in claim 14, wherein said strut further includes a protrusion and said outer race further includes a projection operatively arranged to prevent incorrect assembly of said strut within said stator by contacting said protrusion.
 19. The stator for the torque converter recited in claim 18, wherein said projection is positioned within said stator in a position which is at least partially aligned with said protrusion.
 20. The stator for the torque converter recited in claim 19, wherein if said strut is assembled within said stator upside down said projection will contact said protrusion and prevent said strut from sitting flush within said stator. 